Mixing Lead Vocals

[ElectricImages]

Hey guys, I was just wondering what kind of effects chains you find best for mixing a pop vocal... it seems most kinds of pop have really bright lead vocal sounds and I'm not sure what the best ways to go about getting this are. Until recently I almost always went compression -> eq -> delay -> reverb. Recently I have been toying with multiband compression on the lead vocal track, but it seems to make the different bands more obvious to me. I'm not sure if its because in the process of setting up the multiband I am soloing the bands to hear them and then make adjustments, but I kind of get the feel that having different compression is making them seperate a bit from each other in a weird way. Do you guys normally just use fullband compression on lead vocals? I have also tried playing with sticking an eq before the compression as well, like eq -> compressor -> eq -> delay -> reverb. I know the eq before the compressor is kind of questionable but I have just been using it to do a high pass and maybe cut some low/midrange frequencies out to make the track sound a bit clearer, then compress that for dynamics and follow it with an eq for more involved tone shaping.

 

Anyways, I have just been going from setting to setting without really finding something that jumps out at me so I was wondering what kind of chains you guys use or if you anyone has any pointers!

[Lee Knight]

I've used the Wave C4 multiband on lead vocal when there was an issue. I've got client who has on over the nasally new wave sort of voice. With the C4, I can lower the threshold pretty far on the trouble band, even cut the gain a bit. Sometimes when I want a shamelessly slick sounding vocal, the C4 preset "Pop Vocal" is the ticket.

 

But usually I don't use a multiband. My typical set up would be a warmish compressor with a fast attack and a medium to fast release. Still love the Massey for this. RenComp or a soft LA2A work as well. Then eq.

 

FX... I use a lot of stuff on the lead vox and usually mix it covertly. I lot of delays. Tight and long. Routing things back into themselves. Delays into plates, etc.

 

Also sometimes I'll take either a double vocal or a copy of the lead vox and distort it with plenty of fizz and blend in. Play with either lining phase up exactly on this distorted double or delaying slightly. Both are nice but different.

 

You can also put a distortion device on an aux and send the various vocal doubles in different degrees to it. Then send that distortion to maybe a Roland Dimension D style slow chorus.

 

Lots of stuff...

[WRGKMC]

To give advice on mixing vocals is really tough because theres no one formula works for all vocals. When I mix my own vocals I have presets setup that get me in the ball park. When I mix my buddies, They all have different tonal charecturistics. My presets would sound horrible. I also have different presets for Live and Studio recordings. With Live tracks I take a stereo feed off the mixer. It usually has a littel effects if I tap off the mains. If I tap off the Line Inserts, I have a dry, Cardoid mike sound. Masking and minimizing bleedover from the other instruments is a main concern. I usually Cut all bass up to at least 500hz and may chop the trebble at 10K off. I then manipulate the mids and upper highs to get it to set right in the mix.

Using a large diaphram mike its a whole different story. My preamp basically gets me where I want and its just getting the gain levels right once recorded. I usually get rid of the low end depending on the song and how up front I want the vocals to sound and manipulate the frequencies. Some compression or Tape simulation can make it sound very crispy.

In general for both procces I'll EQ First to remove low end. I'll use a reverb on the bus and send it as a pre signal vs post. I then put an EQ on the track

Then a high end compressor limiter. I dont use much of any of them.

Later when I'm Mastering the stereo track, If I want a live sound I'll add some Waves Reverb.

Other items I may use is RBC harmonizer. It does a good job Doubbeling the track, It also has pitch correction (For singers who cant sing in pitch) and harmonizing. I may use one track with compression and reverb and leave the other track dry, mix the two center mono and adjust the levels to get that motown sound. For chorus Vocals I have a whole nother set of things I do to manipulate the sound. But it still comes down to good singing. I get a great singer in, Its a real pleasure because you dont need to do much to make it sound good.

[soto]

The twelve-tone musical scale, upon which the majority of the music in the world is based,70-290 may have its roots in the sound of the human voice during the course of evolution, according to a study published by the New Scientist.N10-004 Analysis of recorded speech samples found peaks in acoustic energy that mirrored the distances between notes in the twelve-tone scale.70-642 It is suspected that some of the influence may also lie in the nature of lower vocal notes being linked to life expectancy, while higher vocal notes are linked to fertility.

[JMR]

One thing I've noticed I really like to do for harmonies is pitch shift the original up or down the interval you want, and then record another track to match it. Then bring the pitch back to normal on the original track. Works prerrrttty good.

[chris carter]

Generally speaking, most of the time lead vocals get:

 

EQ -> compressor -> (possibly second compressor) -> (possibly third compressor set up as a limiter) -> (possibly de-esser)

 

If the vocals were tracked with compression, I'm likely to skip the first compressor (but one of the other two will surely be used).

 

Verb and delay(s) are always on sends so they are not in the serial chain.

[Timmylikedthing]

Pop vocal tricks I use.

 

I've posted these before but here goes.

 

Compression-> EQ on all the following tracks. Different processing will be described in better detail.

 

1) The "Main Vocal" I use a nice reverb (either plate or room depending on the song) and blend to taste. I mess with the predelay to make sure it doesn't get to washy. I may replace reverb with delay if that's what it needs.

 

2) The "Double" This is either a recorded double or the waves doubler can work nicely. This will get some dirt from a plug with a blend function. You want it to sound different. If I'm using the doubler plug, then the dirt will be in front. Then a touch of reverb nothing too washy.

 

3) The "Octave Below" This is used only if the part needs "anchored" to the music. This will be treated very dryly. Mostly you shouldn't be able to hear it.

 

4) The "Accent Harmony" This is dry but used to accent certain phrases or words. This track will be mixed pretty low and used to reinforce parts of the song. Dryly, touch of reverb, nothing heavy.

 

In a mix, the "Main" will be loudest, then bring up the "Double" until you can barely hear it (If you want the doubled sound as an effect, record the double don't use plugs and mix it loud with the "Main"), the "Octave Below" you'll bring up just enough to reinforce the track. This shouldn't be obvious. The "Accent Harmony" is pretty much the same. It should be just enough to accent the part without sounding like a part where you want to have obvious harmonies.

 

After that, use your ears.

[DontLetMeDrown]

Let us hear what you've got so far. Upload and give us a link so we can give you some useful advice. Until you do that, we can only just guess about what might improve things for you.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

it seems most kinds of pop have really bright lead vocal sounds and I'm not sure what the best ways to go about getting this are.

 

 

If bright is what you want, I would recommend using a bright mic.

 

Personally, although it obviously depends on the song, if I am doing pop, I prefer a big, warm vocal with an airy top end, but not bright. But it depends on the vocal. For some, I might not want that airy top end at all.

[UstadKhanAli]

Oh, in case it matters, my signal chain for airy vocals is often:

Lawson L251 (Telefunken ELAM 251-like mic) > Neve Portico mic preamp that may or may not be in Silk Mode or FMR RNP > RNLA hardware compressor (not always - depends on the vocals and vocalist) > converters. For airy, extended vocals, that usually gets me the sound I want.

 

If I want bright vocals, I'll usually go with a Rode NT2 or, better yet, an old Audio-Technica ATM33R small diaphragm condenser > FMR RNP, and I rarely need to EQ any further than that in mixdown. I rarely do this signal chain anymore, but there you go.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

maybe cut some low/midrange frequencies out to make the track sound a bit clearer, then compress that for dynamics and follow it with an eq for more involved tone shaping.

 

 

What midrange frequencies are you cutting? I ask because the ear is most sensitive to the midrange frequencies.

[Joe Gilder]

A lot of great suggestions here. I would throw out that you need to make the majority of your decisions while listening to the vocal IN the mix. Don't spend 20 minutes listening to a solo'd vocal, figuring out EQ and compressor settings, because chances are what sounds good solo'd may not be right for the mix.

 

A lot of times a killer lead vocal track may sound a bit thin when solo'd, but sounds amazing in the mix.

[UstadKhanAli]

Yeah, you can solo it for a little while for specific things & editing, but in general, it's better to mix with everything together and obviously make your final decisions listening to it all.